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Celestial mechanics

The Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar "Terraluna" and its mystical precursor

Some 3600 years separate the Nebra Sky Disc and the Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar "Terraluna". But the oldest realistic rendition of the nocturnal sky and the current depiction of the constellation showing the earth, the moon and the sun share a common and perpetual objective: to illustrate the progression of celestial bodies as accurately as possible.

Current and oldest depiction of the nocturnal sky: RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna” in front of the Nebra Sky Disc (Courtesy of LDA Saxony-Anhalt, J. Lipták).

The Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar "Terraluna" ranks among the most appealing debuts of the horological year 2014. The extraordinary timepiece is equally seductive on both sides: the historically significant regulator dial with the perpetual calendar and the characteristic outsize date on the front, the wrist-format planetarium with an orbital moon-phase display on the back. The miniaturised astronomical ballet not only shows the waxing and waning moon, but also – with three rotating discs – the constellation formed by the earth, moon and sun. The mechanism is designed with such remarkable precision that 1058 years can elapse before a one-day correction is needed.

Its eye-catching feature is the deep-blue celestial disc in solid gold with precisely 2116 twinkling stars. Many more, in fact, than the famous Nebra Sky Disc, which a few years ago was found just under 200 kilometres from Glashütte. Its discovery was a sensation. Created about 3600 years ago in central Europe, the disc is by far the oldest realistic representation of the universe. With its enigmatic motifs, it points to the roots of timekeeping and its origins in the terrestrial, lunar and celestial cycles.

The RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR "Terraluna" and a detail of its perpetual calendar.

The unknown creators of the disc needed only a few appliques in gold to bundle the astronomical insights of their era – with unexpected precision – on a bronze plate with a diameter of 32 centimetres. The focus is on a full moon and a crescent moon embedded in 32 stars. A cluster of seven stars between the two moons symbolises the Pleiades. Their disappearance in the evening sky in March and their emergence in the morning sky in October marked the times for spring planting and autumn harvesting, the most important junctures in the agricultural calendar. The horizon arcs at the periphery also have a calendar function. When the disc was properly aligned at the location where it was found, on the Mittelberg near Nebra, and pointed at the sunset over the Brocken mountain, the highest peak of the Harz massif about 85 kilometres away, it allowed the dates of the summer and winter solstices to be determined.

The knowledge it preserves makes the Nebra Sky Disc a milestone in the history of mankind. It is an impressive witness of the first attempts to understand and record the progression of the heavenly bodies. The Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar "Terraluna" fuses contemporary astronomical insight and artisanal artistry into a horological masterpiece that correctly reproduces the constellation of the moon for the next one thousand years and features a calendar, which is accurately programmed until the year 2100. It reflects the resolve to get an understanding of the situation and leverage the insights of research to create innovation. In this respect, A. Lange & Söhne's watchmakers are as enterprising as the world's first astronomers.

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About A. Lange & Söhne

When Ferdinand Adolph Lange established his watch manufactory in 1845, he laid the cornerstone of Saxony's precision watchmaking industry. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. In 1990, Ferdinand Adolph Lange's great-grandson Walter Lange had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In a period of only 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne developed 49 manufacture calibres and secured a top-tier position among the world's finest watch brands. Its biggest successes include innovative timekeeping instruments like the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch as well as the LANGE ZEITWERK with its supremely legible, precisely jumping numerals. Meanwhile, both models have become icons of the venerable brand.

About the State Museum for Prehistory in Halle

The State Museum for Prehistory in Halle is one of the most significant archaeological museums in central Europe. Its comprehensive inventory includes more than 15 million finds, including numerous objects of international importance, such as the famous Nebra Sky Disc. Saxony-Anhalt's exceptionally interesting archaeological artefacts are exhibited in chronological order, from the beginning of the Stone Age to the pre-Roman Iron Age. The permanent exhibition is subdivided into several sections: "Geisteskraft" (Cognition – Lower and Middle Palaeolithic), "Menschenwechsel" (Evolution – Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic), "Lebenswandel" (Transformation – New Stone Age to Early Bronze Age) and "Glutgeboren" (Emberborn – Middle Bronze Age to pre-Roman Iron Age). Over the next few years, the permanent exhibition will be gradually extended. The chronological sequence will then end with the Middle Ages and the early modern period.